A fathers love
by TwilightSky15
Summary: Alona never though her life would go this way, that her parents would die, that she would be abused and scarred beyond repair, that she would escape,or even that she would find healing in the most unexpected person. 16 years later she attends Ever After High at the insistence of her father, learning to overcome her fears and prepare to take on her unique destiny.
1. Chapter1: A night to forget

**TwilightSky15** **: Hi guys! I know it's been a while since I've posted anything but I got the idea for this while doing an RP with a friend and I just couldn't get it out of my head. I wasn't sure if I should put the rating as T or M or even what category to put it in considering I'm using my Kingdom Hearts OC. So to compromise I'm thinking** _ **of**_ **doing two versions of this story a pure EAH version (Which is this one.) and a Kingdom Hearts crossover version. I want everyone's opinions on whether I should make two different versions of this story or not. Anyways let's get started.**

 **(((((TRIGGER WARNING!))))) I'm put this just in case, but if you have an issue with physical and mental abuse I suggest you either turn back now or wait for chapter 3.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing accept Alona, Sarah, and Jason.**

It was a still night in a large village in the mountains, most of the town was sound asleep, the only exception was the Hikari household. Sarah and Jason Hikari were just getting their three-year-old daughter, Alona, ready to go to bed for the night. Or at least they were trying to do so, it was kind of hard when she was excitedly running around her room.

Jason grinned as he playfully snatched his daughter up and started tickling her "Ah ha! The tickle monster has got you now!" he teased as he carried his daughter to her bed so Sarah could help her get into her pajamas.

Alona giggled and squirmed in his arms "Daddy!" she squealed, trying to escape, "stop it!"

Jason chuckled "Okay, okay, time for you to get dressed kiddo." He said as he dropped her on her bed.

Sarah helped Alona get dressed and ready before her and Jason tucked her into bed. Alona had almost fallen asleep as her parents were shutting her door when she suddenly sat up with a gasp.

"Wait!" she exclaimed, causing her parents to open the door and peek in again "Where's Mr. Midnight?" she asked, referring to her favorite black stuffed cat her mother made for her when she was a baby. Sarah and Jason looked around Alona's room before Mr. Midnight was found under their daughters bed. Sarah smiled as she placed Sly under the blankets with Alona and gently kissed her forehead "Goodnight honey, I love you."

Alona smiled "I love you Mommy."

Jason came and kissed her on her forehead as well "Love you Sweetheart, See you in the morning."

"Love you too Daddy." Alona replied before yawning and snuggling under her blanket as her parents tucked her into bed again before turning off her lamp and closing her door.

A few hours later the whole house was dark and quiet as everyone slept. The grandfather clock in the living room chimed deeply as the beginning of the next hour started breaking the quiet in the house before the sound of a window being shattered broke it further. The man who broke the window crawled through the opening and stood up "Jason! Where are you!? I want my money you asshole!" he yelled as he started searching downstairs.

Sarah woke from the yelling with a jolt and quickly sat up, she listened to the voice before she shook her husband awake.

"Jason, Jason wake up!" She whispered urgently as she roused him from his sleep

"Huh? Wha-?" Jason asked tiredly as he woke, "What's going on? What's wrong?" He slurred tiredly.

"I think someone broke into the house."

Jason was wide awake then "What!?"

"Listen." Sarah told him

They both stayed still, listening to all the noise down stairs. "Come on out you bastard! I know you have what I want!" the intruder yelled.

Jason quickly got up "Get Alona and go get the police, I'll deal with this guy."

Sarah nodded "Alright, but be careful." She cautioned, giving him a kiss before quickly sneaking out of the room to get their daughter.

Sarah gently shook Alona awake "Alona honey, wake up we have to go." She said quietly

Alona whined quietly as she was pulled from her sleep "Mm…Mommy? Why'd you wake me up?" She mumbled as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"There's a bad man in the house and we need to get somewhere safe." Sarah explained gently.

Alona was scared "A bad man?"

"Shhh, yes but, Daddy's taking care of him and we're going to go get help. Now let's hurry and get you dressed."

"Okay Mommy."

After getting Alona dressed Sarah picked her up and carried her downstairs.

Alona grabbed Mr. Midnight before they left.

Sarah heard Jason and the intruder in a heated conversation in the next room over. She peeked around the doorframe to see what was going on, only to see the man pointing a gun at her husband. She gasped quietly and quickly ducked back into the living room; looking around before she spotted a small cabinet and rushed over to it.

"What are you doing Mommy?" Alona asked quietly

"Keeping you safe, honey." Sarah replied as she opened the empty cabinet and placed Alona inside "I need you to listen: I'm going to go help your father, whatever you do don't leave this cabinet or make a sound under any circumstances until me or your father tell you to come out, okay?"

"Okay Mommy."

Sarah kissed Alona's forehead "I love you, I'll be back soon." She said quietly as she closed the cabinet.

Alona hugged Mr. Midnight tightly as she listened to what was going on outside. She couldn't hear anything clearly, but she did hear a lot of yelling before she heard a loud bang and her father cry out, causing her to yelp and cower under her stuffed bear. There were more sounds of struggling and yelling before there was another loud bang, accompanied by her mothers' scream before everything went silent.

Alona waited for a bit before cautiously peeking out of the cabinet "Mommy? Daddy?" She called out quietly as she looked around.

There was no answer.

Alona grabbed Mr. Midnight and went to look for her parents, walking into the dining room and finding them on the floor; seeming to be asleep.

"Mommy? Daddy?" she whimpered as she shook them and tried to wake them "Please wake up!" she cried "You have to wake up!"

She was crying over her parents when a shadow suddenly loomed over her from behind.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" a male voice said from behind her.

Alona sniffled and turned around, looking up at the man with tears in her eyes, "My Mommy and Daddy won't wake up." She whimpered sadly, wiping some of her tears away with one of Mr. Midnight's paws.

"They won't be waking up any time soon, kid. They're dead." The man said as he looked around.

"T-They can't be d-dead…I-I need them…" Alona said in a small voice.

"Not anymore, I can't have you talking so you're coming with me." The man said as he grabbed her by the arm and started dragging her out of the house before she could react.

Alona yelped and tried to pull away only for the man to tighten his grip on her arm causing her to wince. She looked back at her parents still forms one last time before the man dragged her out onto the streets. In the darkness of the night she could see the soft orange glow coming off of the street lamps. When she looked down at her clothes she noticed she was covered in blood causing her to start crying.

The man picked her up and covered her mouth with his hand "Shut up you brat!

Alona whimpered and struggle as the man slipped into an alleyway "Hey, you still here?" He called out quietly as he looked around.

"Yes, did you get the money they owed you?" A man in a cloak asked

Alona's captor nodded "They were hiding it," He scoffed "I even got myself a little bonus prize." He added nodding down to Alona's shaking form.

"So, do you know where you're going after this?" the cloaked man asked as he handed the bad man a bottle of clear liquid and a cloth.

"Yes, I actually live in a cabin a few days' journey from here. It's in a faraway kingdom so she won't be coming back here." He smirked, Alona gulped at this

"Good, you'd better get going before you miss your boat."

"Right, but before I go I need you to hold her for me." The man said as he passed Alona off to the other man. Alona started struggling in his arms.

The cloaked man held her tightly and looked at his friend "Hurry up."

"Alright, alright." The man said as he went to put the now wet cloth over Alona's face "Don't move you little rat, you're just going to take a nice long nap."

Alona kept struggling in the cloaked man's grip, trying to dodge the cloth before the man holding her forced her head still.

Alona whimpered as the odd smelling cloth was pressed to her face, being forced to breathe in the scent. She suddenly felt really sleepy before the world blurred and everything went black.

* * *

When she opened her eyes again she was surprised to find that they were walking up to a cabin in a thick forest.

The man walked up to the cabin and unlocked the front door before stepping inside and putting Alona down.

Alona slowly sat up and rubbed her eyes as she looked around the dusty old cabin, noticing the numerus beer bottles strewn around the room, "What's this place?"

"Your new home." The man replied with a smirk.

"But…what about Mommy and Daddy?" Alona whimpered as she stood.

The man angrily backhanded her across the face, causing her to cry out, "Don't mention them!" He yelled at her.

Alona yelped and stumbled backwards into the door. Putting a hand to her cheek in shock, not used to being hit "H-How come?" She asked timidly.

"Because I said so, do want me to kill you too?" The man told her with a stern look.

Alona pressed herself against the door in fear "No…" She whimpered as she hugged Mr. Midnight tightly.

"Then you better not mention them anymore, I'm going to be your new Daddy now and you're going to like it."

Alona gulped, watching as the man took off to the kitchen before she walked over to the fireplace and sat down on the floor before the flames, slowly calming down.

The man came back in with a bottle of beer.

Alona looked over at him "I'm hungry." She complained.

The man glared at her "Not my problem, Worthless. Go feed yourself."

Alona got up and went to the kitchen. After looking around for a bit, she found nothing but a small loaf of stale bread and some water.

While she was eating Alona heard the front door open accompanied by a woman's voice.

"You're back, how did the job go? Did you get the money?"

Alona's new 'Father' laughed "I sure did baby, I even got a little bonus prize."

"Oooh, and what would that be?"

Alona peeked out of the kitchen causing the woman to gasp. "You brought back a kid!? Why!?"

The man smirked "I couldn't have her talking and I needed a house keeper. That and I know you wanted a new pet after what happened to the last one." This news made Alona whimper in fear.

The man looked over in her direction after he heard her whimper "There she is, worthless little mutt…hey make yourself useful and get me two more beers."

"Mommy and Daddy say I'm not allowed to touch that stuff."

The man glared and stood up from his seat, storming over to her. Alona started backing up a bit in fear. "What did I tell you about mentioning those useless parents of yours!?" The man yelled at her as grabbed her and threw her across the room and into a wall.

Alona screamed and started crying when she hit the wall, getting scared when the man came up and started beating her as his girlfriend watched "When I tell you to do something you do it!" He yelled as he beat her. By the time he was done Alona was in so much pain she couldn't move as he dumped her on the ground and she watched him walk into the kitchen to get his beers.

The woman walked over to her and gave Alona a smile that was so sinister and dark it scared her. "Don't worry little dog. You'll get used to doing what your told soon enough."

Alona cried silently as she hugged Mr. Midnight, wishing this was all just a nightmare.

 **TwilightSky15** **: Well, that's about it. Sorry this chapter was so depressing…I've never actually written anything dark like this before so we'll see how this goes. Like I said if this gets good reception then I might just make two versions of this story so don't forget to REVIEW!**


	2. Chapter2: Lost and found

**TwilightSky15** **: Hi again, I wanted to wait so I could see if I could get more reviews for this story but apparently not…also sorry this took so long, but I was working on it and my computer had to restart for an update and it had two versions of this chapter that it auto saved and I had five pages saved on one and only 3 saved on the other. Guess which one I accidently saved over? If you guessed the 5 page one you'd be correct. So most of this is scraped together from what I could remember. Anyways enjoy.**

 **(((((TRIGGER WARNING!))))) I'm put this just in case, but if you have an issue with physical and mental abuse I skip to where the first break is or wait for chapter 3.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing accept Alona.**

 **Two years later…(Alona is now 5)**

Alona had fallen into an uneasy sleep, exhausted from cleaning and tending to "Daddy's" girlfriend, when she was suddenly jolted awake from Daddy striking her to wake her up. "Come on Worthless, get up! The boys are coming for poker soon and you need to be ready!"

Alona's body ached from the beating she had received the day before for being too slow completing her tasks. She tried to ignore it as she slowly stood "Yes sir…" She mumbled as she got to work.

Daddy's girlfriend walked into the house a while later, smirking when she saw Alona "Hello, little dog."

Alona averted her gaze and kept her head bowed, as she had been "trained" to do by the woman.

"Good girl." She praised, patting Alona on the head and making her flinch.

Alona continued getting everything ready, moving all they stuff they would need to the table in the dining area, until she accidently dropped a case of beer that was too heavy for her to carry causing most the bottles to break.

Daddy heard it and ran in "What the hell did you do!?"

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to drop it!" Alona cried as she started backing away in fear.

The man grabbed a still intact bottle of beer, brandishing it like a weapon, "Spare me your excuses you little rat!" He yelled as he hit her over the head with the bottle, causing her head to bleed.

Alona cried out and stumbled into one of the kitchen chairs, holding her head in pain.

"You're nothing but a burden! You always ruin everything!" Daddy continued as he grabbed another bottle to hit her with and swung at her.

This time Alona was prepared and quickly scrambled out of the way, running past him into the living room to try to get away from him.

"Get back here!"

Alona grabbed Mr. Midnight as she started panicking, still bleeding from the bottle hitting her. She quickly looked around for a means of escape; not wanting to get hit again she tried the back door, only to find it locked causing her to start crying. She quickly looked for a means of escape before noticing the door to the basement and making a run for it.

She quickly threw the door to the basement open and slammed it shut before tumbling down the steps into the dark underground room.

As she quickly got up she noticed she could smell the rain from outside. Looking around she saw nothing but darkness until she saw the open ground level window on the far wall high above her.

' _There's no way I could reach that!'_ She thought in fear as she heard Daddy's footsteps pounding above her.

"Where are you, you little..." the man muttered as he looked for her.

Alona gulped and tried to feel her way around she felt nothing but the sodden dirt floor.

That is, until she got to the wall closest to the window. Squinting in the darkness she could just make out the dark silhouette of an unstable stack of boxes next to the window.

She started to climb them, cringing when she felt the pile wobble dangerously. She was halfway up when she accidentally knocked over one of the smaller boxes; causing it to fall to the ground with a loud crash, prompting her to climb faster.

Daddy heard the crash and headed for the basement door.

Alona gasped when he heard his pounding footsteps get to the basement door. She held onto Mr. Midnight tightly with her teeth as she climbed to the top. Jumping through the window, but only making it half way. She quickly tried to shimmy through the rest of the way before she got caught.

"Get back in here!" Daddy yelled as he stomped down the steps to try to pull her back in "When I get my hands on you you'll be sorry!"

Alona squeezed the rest of the way through the window just before Daddy grabbed her. She was a bit disoriented at first, not used to the feeling of grass and thick mud under her feet. She shivered as the cold rain hit her body as she took Mr. Midnight and started running.

* * *

Alona had walked for a long time until she came upon a small town; looking around she noticed it was extremely different from what she remembered Radiant Garden looked like.

Alona made sure to keep her head down and not look at anyone as she was taught, which was unknowingly making villagers who passed her worried. One woman eventually stopped her "Are you okay little girl? You look sad, did you lose your family?"

Alona pulled away from her, gasping in fear.

"It's okay I'm just trying to help."

Alona's eyes welled with tears of fear as she started backing away before she took off running.

"Hey, wait!" the woman called after her in concern.

Alona kept running before she was sure she was far enough away, she quickly ducked into an alleyway to hide just in case.

After hiding for a while Alona begin to get hungry, she whimpered when she remembered her last small meal was three days ago. She also realized she had no way of getting any food "What do I do…?" she said quietly with a sad sigh.

She was about to try to take a nap to forget her hunger when she was suddenly smelled the scent of fresh bread, making her stomach growl loudly.

Alona hesitantly peeked out of the alleyway, noticing a bakery just down the street with the baker putting fresh bread out in the stand right in front of his shop. She licked her lips as her stomach growled again. Did she dare steal? Her real mom and dad had always told her stealing was wrong, but she was so hungry…

Alona reluctantly swallowed her fear, she had no choice, it was either steal or starve.

She backed up a bit before she quickly took off running towards the stand she had to time this right. She aimed for the closest loaf of bread and snatched it out of the basket on the stall without stopping.

"Stop, thief!" A voice suddenly yelled from behind her as soon as she took the bread and ran.

Alona panicked and kept running in an attempt to escape as some officers started chasing her. She quickly ran around a corner as she got to the next street until she accidently ran into someone. The man she ran into was dressed in a blue coat and a light grayish blue vest with a light blue ascot with a golden decoration with a red stone on it. She noticed He had a dark brown mustache that was starting to turn gray, green eyes and dark brown hair that was also graying. He also wore a golden ring in the shape of a mirror, letting out a surprised grunt before looking down.

"I'm sorry, are you alright little one?" he asked gently

Alona gasped and backed away from him in fear "I'm sorry!" She exclaimed as she went around him and kept running before he could say anything as the police started to catch up to her. She almost got caught before she dodged them by running into the nearby forest.

A few hours later she was aimlessly wandering around the forest as it started getting dark, the heavy rain that started an hour ago soaking her to the bone and making her shiver. Alona looked around for a place to stay for the night before spotting a cave and sighing with relief as she ran inside of it. Laying down as she started falling asleep she suddenly heard a deep angry growl from behind her deeper in the cave. She slowly turned around and gulped "H-Hello?" She called out timidly.

There was another growl as a large black bear came out of the shadows.

Alona gasped and scrambled to her feet; clutching Mr. Midnight tightly as she slowly baked away before she took off running; The bear gave an angry roar before it started its pursuit after her for waking it up.

Alona was panting heavily as she ran, getting tangled in thorn and briar bushes as she did, trying to get as far away from the bear as she possibly could when she ran into a large thorn bush. She quickly attempted to crawl through the bush to escape when she heard the bear catching up to her, cringing when she heard it roar in pain when in collided with the bush.

Alona made it through the other side of the bush and kept running, wanting to get out of the forest and find somewhere safer to stay. When she made it out of the Enchanted Forest three hours later, as it was getting dark, she came across a clearing with a large Victorian style mansion sitting in the middle of it with a paved brick path leading up to it from the dirt road that stopped just before the clearing and disappeared into the forest. Too exhausted to move another step, and seeing that no one was home, she curled up in the slightly sheltered doorway to get shelter from the rain and fell asleep using Mr. Midnight as a pillow.

The man who owned the mansion was coming back from shopping in the village, since it was the day off for his servants he had gone to town to pick up a few things for himself. After he put his horse away in the stables he walked up to the front door only to be surprised by the young child that was asleep in his doorway. After setting his bags down he quickly unlocked the front door before he gently picked the girl up and carried her inside, placing her on the couch before going back out for her bags, after putting everything away he quickly got on the phone and called his brother; telling him to come quickly.

* * *

Alona woke up a few hours later feeling surprisingly warm, confused she slowly opened her eyes to find she was in a nice Victorian style living room with a roaring fireplace a few feet in front of the couch, she also noticed she was covered with a warm blanket and she could her low voices coming from somewhere else in the house. Panicking she quickly hopped of the couch and grabbed Mr. Mog before making a run for the door only to find it was locked, she nervous when she heard the low voices pause and footsteps heading in her direction. She franticly pulled on the door handle when she heard a door behind her open and footsteps approach her, causing her to start crying.

"Are you alright little one?" A slightly baritone, and dignified voice ask her gently.

Alona whirled around and pressed her body tightly against the door in fear, crushing Mr. Midnight in a death grip as she whimpered staring at the man she recognized as the one she had run into earlier in the day.

The man noticed her fear and reached out to comfort her only for Alona to tense up in as if waiting to be hit, causing the man to hesitate.

The door that the man had come through a minute earlier opened again as another man stepped into the room. The man was dressed in a maroon coat with some patches. He had green eyes, like the other man had, and light blond hair that was also starting to gray, but it was much longer and wilder then the other man's short slightly curly hair, he also had a small beard that was graying as well. For clothes he wore an orange vest, a loose ascot, glasses and sneakers, with a pair of long mismatched blue striped and brown-striped socks.

"Is everything alright Milton?" The mas asked as he came over, scaring Alona even more and causing her to start shaking.

"Yes, Giles. She just woke up." The man named Milton replied as he looked back at the other man before crouching down to be eye level with her, the other man doing the same.

Alona carefully watched the two men, just waiting for them to start hurting her.

Milton turned back to Alona "Now then, can you tell me your name?" He asked.

She gulped in fear, afraid she'd be punished if she disobeyed, before she spoke "A-Alona…" she mumbled almost inaudibly.

Milton smiled gently "Alright Alona, my name is Milton Grimm and this," he said turning to the other man "is my brother Giles. Now, can you tell us where your family is?"

Alona stayed silent and shook her head, remembering "Daddy's" threat clear as a bell in her mind. The threat that if she ever told anyone about him abusing her that he would shoot her like he did her real parents.

Giles gave her a sympathetic look "Did you lose them?"

Alona squeezed Mr. Midnight's paw in her hand and shook her head again.

"You don't want to talk about it?" Milton offered.

Alona bit her lip as her eyes teared up, shaking her head.

Milton gave a slight sigh, looking at his brother before looking back at Alona "Are you hungry?"

Alona's eyes went wide and she nodded excitedly at the mention of food.

Milton and Giles both stood up to their full height with Milton telling Alona to follow them to the kitchen. Alona obediently did as told, shyly looking around as they passed through the fancy looking dining room on their way to the kitchen. Once they reached the kitchen Milton had her sit on one of the three stools that sat next to the kitchen island in the middle of the room, after Alona took a seat Milton served her a bowl of soup that he had made for dinner that night.

Alona hesitated, not eating right away, causing both brothers to become concerned "Is something wrong?" Giles asked

"I know this trick." Alona said quietly

"What trick?" Milton asked in confusion.

"The one where I can only eat a little bit before you take it away…" Alona answered timidly

Milton and Giles were shocked before Milton finally spoke "Well, we assure you that won't happen while you're with us. You can eat as much as you'd like."

Alona was overjoyed at this news and quickly started eating while the two watched her

After she was finished eating her first bowl Giles refilled it upon her request. Once he was finished Milton spoke "Alona, do you not have a home?"

Alona paused mid bite, "I…um…uh…" she mumbled, unsure of what to really say. The brothers didn't push her and patiently waited for her to answer.

"N-No…" Alona finally answered in a small voice.

"Is that why you stole that bread from the market place today?"

Alona dropped her spoon and jumped off the stool, backing away in fear because she thought she was in trouble "I-I'm sorry! I was s-so hungry a-and I d-didn't know what to d-do! P-Please don't h-hurt me!" She cried as she cowered away from the two and used her ragged stuffed cat as a shield. Giles and Milton were taken aback by her reaction to the question, not prepared for it.

After a waiting a bit to see if she'd calm down they both slowly approached her.

"Alona," Milton asked softly "has someone been abusing you?"

Alona's eyes went wide in fear and she franticly shook her head no in an attempt to deny it.

"You don't have to hide it from us, we promise we won't hurt you."

Alona teared up and started crying heavily, weather in relief or fear she wasn't sure.

Milton crouched and gently wrapped Alona in a hug as she cried. Normally she would have tried to escape when someone tried to hug or touch her, but she was so distraught and exhausted she didn't really care anymore.

Milton gently picked Alona up and started carrying her upstairs, with Giles following, to put her in one of the guest rooms. Since Alona had fallen asleep in his arms on the way up Milton gently laid her down on the bed, quietly closing the door behind him as he left and let out a quiet sigh.

Giles let out a sigh himself before looking at his older brother "So Milton, do you have an answer to my question from earlier?"

Milton Grimm was quiet for a long while before finally answering "I think I've made my decision: I'll just have adopt her myself."

 **TwilightSky15** **: Well there you have it, That's chapter 2. It's probably a lot weaker than my original chapter was, but I ended up spending a lot longer on this chapter then I wanted to anyways so I might just revise it later…maybe. Anyways review and favorite or, you know…don't I guess…**


	3. Chapter 3: A new year is dawning

**TwilightSky15** **: Sorry I took so long to post this chapter. November was a stressful and hectic month for me and finals made it worse: I had a five-page paper, 20-30-word dictionary, and interview for Anthropology due by the 30** **th** **, My final Argument paper for English which required database research, and finally my last 50 topics, my time table, cover letter and mini essay all for my online math class. My finals were almost as bad because I had my take home final for Anthropology, my final for math, all the stuff for my Game Design document and my revised English essay for my English portfolio! I also spent a lot of time with my family for the winter break and now I need to get ready for my next semester and PAX South at the end of this month, anyways enjoy the next chapter and Happy New Year.**

 **Eleven years later…(Alona is now 16)**

"Please don't make me go Dad, Pleeeeeease!"

"Alona we've talked about this; you are to go for your legacy year to carry on the Grimm family tradition and that's final."

Alona slumped in her seat in the carriage and groaned dramatically causing her father to give her a stern look at her action. "What have I told you about doing that?"

Alona sighed as she sat up "Slumping is unladylike for a girl like me." She recited with a slight eye roll.

"Thank you. Just think of it this way, you will be able to socialize and make friends, learn about the stories, and you will get to see me more." Headmaster Grimm said with a warm smile.

" _Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of…_ " Alona thought as they traveled through the village of Book End on their way to Ever After High. It's not like Alona hated her father, far from it, she was just scared that she would be judged for being the Headmasters daughter. Would people judge her? Not trust her? Or worse…hate her? She let out another sigh while she looked out the window of the carriage as they started to pull up to the school, she just wished she could go back home.

After they pulled up to the school the carriage driver opened the door for them before he started unloading their luggage and taking it inside. Alona went to the front and started petting the horse as her father spoke to the driver after he finished with unloading before Headmaster Grimm called her over and the carriage left.

Alona sighed as she looked up at the school, she had been here before with her father many times over the years and knew the faculty well, but this time would be different. She would be living here for a whole year sharing a room with someone she knew nothing about and have no way to be on her own. She didn't' feel ready for this as all.

She ascended the steps of the school with her father as they went to his office so he could make sure everything was ready for the students to come tomorrow. Looking around the hallways as they walked Alona couldn't help but muse how everything looked her size now that she was older, but it did little to ease her anxiety as they entered her father's office; surprised when Baba Yaga greeted them upon entry.

"Milton. Alona. So, nice to see you again." She greeted as she floated up to them

"Hello Madam Yaga." Alona greeted a bit timidly.

"Are you excited for your legacy year dear?"

Alona forced the most genuine smile she could "Yeah, I'm looking forward to it."

Baba Yaga smiled back "Good, I'm a bit disappointed I won't have you in any of my classes, but I only teach classes for students with evil in their destinies."

"I-It's okay, I understand."

Baba Yaga nodded and turned to Headmaster Grimm "Now Milton, there are a few things we need to go over in the Home Evilnomics classroom before tomorrow."

Headmaster Grimm nodded "Yes, I remember you telling me;" he turned to Alona "Will you be able to handle yourself for a while while I take care of things?"

"Yes Dad, I'll be fine. I promise." Alona replied with a mild eyeroll.

Headmaster Grimm smiled at his daughter "I'll see you tonight."

Alona nodded before watching the two leave and shut the door behind them. She sighed with boredom and walked around her father's office to see if she could find anything interesting or worth exploring. Upon going over to Headmaster Grimm's desk however she noticed that there were lists for who was rooming with who. Both lists were separated by gender and organized by room number. Being curious as to who she was rooming with Alona skimmed the list up and down until she spotted her name, her eyes widening because of what she saw. It wasn't _who_ was rooming with that scared her, it was her last name that was used for her on the list that scared her. Instead of using Hikari on the list as her father sometimes did when he did documents that needed her name he had just written her name as ' _Alona Grimm'_.

Alona looked up at the door cautiously. He dad probably wouldn't be back for a while and she doubted he would check the roommate lists twice since it pretty much seemed to be finalized. She stealthily grabbed the quill from its holder on the desk and dipped it into the ink before she scratched out the last name Grimm and put Hikari instead, carefully matching her father's handwriting so it wouldn't look suspicious. Once the deed was done Alona put the list back down where it had previously been on the desk. She sighed heavily, she hated lying but Alona just couldn't risk anyone finding out who her father was.

After a while of snooping through her father's office and finding nothing else interesting to explore she decided she should go unpack and organize everything before her roommate came. She left her father's office and stared walking to the wing of the school that housed the girl's dorm, once there she looked for the door that had her name posted on it. Looking closer she also saw the name of her roommate.

"Cerise Hood, huh?" She mused when she read the paper "She's either the daughter of Red Riding Hood or the daughter of Robin Hood."

Alona opened the door and found her luggage already inside along with her backpack sitting in the middle of the room. The room was large and mostly empty save for the furniture her and her father had picked out the week before school was supposed to start; her father had told her it was tradition for the Legacy Year students to pick out new furniture for their dorms at the beginning of the year so he had allowed her to pick out whatever furniture she wanted for her side of the room. Walking over to her backpack she opened it up and pulled Mr. Midnight out, giving her best friend a gentle hug before placing him on top of her trunk.

"Settling in?" A gruff voice asked behind her causing her to jump almost a mile high and spin around, clutching her chest in fear to find Mr. Badwolf standing behind her in his wolf form.

Mr. Badwolf chuckled a bit at her reaction "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." He apologized.

Alona slowly calmed down and dropped her hand to her side "I-It's alright, I just thought I was alone…"

Badwolf nodded in understanding "Are you ready for your Legacy Year?"

"If you want a lie then yes, I am so ready for my legacy year. If you want the truth: I'm terrified." Alona admitted with a heavy sigh.

Badwolf gave her a reassuring smile and put a paw on her shoulder "I'm sure you'll do fine."

Alona shook her head sadly "I don't think I'll ever be ready for my destiny…I can't handle all of this!"

"You'll learn how, that's why your father is having you come here for high school instead of going to the local one in Book End."

"But just learning how doesn't make me feel any more ready for what's expected of me…" Alona frowned.

"Well, on the bright side, you'll get to make new friends like your roommate" Badwolf pointed out in attempt to change the subject.

Alona shrugged "I guess…"

Badwolf gave her another reassuring toothy grin "Trust me, this year will fly by and by the end of it you'll have accepted your destiny and made a lot of new friends." He told her as he left.

Alona just sighed again and stared unpacking; once she was done she rushed down to the Enchanted Forest to explore for the day.

Upon returning to the school for dinner with her father Alona was covered in leaves, dust, and dirt as she walked into his office.

"I'm here!"

Her father gave her a disapproving look, "What have I told you about coming to dinner in such a messy state?"

Alona made a sour face "Young ladies like me come to the table clean."

"Thank you, now go wash up for dinner."

"Yes father…" Alona muttered as she went to her dorm to take a quick shower.

Once she came back she sat back down with her father and started eating with him. Things were mostly quiet with them talking about what they had done with their day and the events that were happening tomorrow.

After finishing up dinner Alona said goodnight to her father and went to her dorm to get ready for bed. Once she was ready she shut off her light and laid on her bed hugging Mr. Midnight "I really hope Dad and Mr. Badwolf are right. I wish I wasn't so timid and shy maybe then it would be easier for me to be around people…I hate that I get so scared around people, but I just can't trust anyone…if no one finds out I'm the headmasters daughter it should be easier to make friends."

Alona yawned "I guess we'll see how tomorrow goes…" she mumbles as she drifted off; as prepared as she could be for the first day of her Legacy Year.

 **TwilightSky15** **: Well, there you have it. Sorry for the weak ending for this chapter I was running low on ideas and just wanted to get this chapter out. I'm kind of deflated about anything EAH right now because** _ **EAH MIGHT BE ENDING**_ **. We haven't really had any new dolls since Epic Winter came out in August except for discount dolls here and there, We haven't had any new webisodes on three months, the company who produces the Webisodes says they have done their last webisode for Mattel that was scheduled, They canceled the EAH magazine, From what I've heard from other people, as well as witnessing and experiencing it myself, The EAH sections of doll aisles in stores are shrinking and being taken over my MH & DC Super Hero Girls or worse being put in clearance. Some people think Mattel might be revamping the brand to make it for younger kids, like Sofia the First. I'm only hoping this is just a minor revamp and not a complete cancelation. Anyways I'll start working on the next chapter this week; thank you for reading and don't forget to review.**


	4. Chapter 4: First day worries

**TwilightSky15** **: I'm so super sorry this chapter is so late...as always This last semester was way more stressful then the last. I had to take more classes to be able to reach 12 credits to be considered a full-time student. I had the next math class up from the one I took last semester, Creative writing (Which only had 6 people in it),** **Modeling and Animation, Graphics and Animation, and Focus on Character Animation. I basically had a project every week that was due by Friday and they got more complicated and require more detail as the semester continued. I can't promise that this chapters will come out in a timely manner even in the summer because I will be helping my mom pack up the house for her (or maybe our if I go) move back to Texas.**

 **Anyways enjoy the chapter (I tried to make it extra-long because of the wait) and remember I own NOTHING except for Alona.**

Alona woke up early the next day with a yawn, she almost didn't recognize where she was until she remembered the events from the day prior and got up to get ready for the day before any students started showing up. She turned on the shower and stepped into the gilded claw foot tub and let the warn water run over her and soak her chestnut hair. She stayed under the water for a while, just relaxing and attempting to mentally prepare herself for the day before even washing herself. When she was ready Alona ran, her favorite rose scented shampoo through her hair and starting to wash her body.

Once she was finished she turned the water off and pulled the crimson and royal blue shower curtain back and wrung out her hair before wrapping herself in her towel and stepping out onto the bath mat. Alona quickly dried herself off and got dressed in her usual attire which consisted of a black short sleeved shirt with a white chain pattern crisscrossing it, dark blue jeans, a black zip up jacket with the inside of the hood and outside of the pockets along with sleeve cuffs dyed white and black running shoes with a white blooming swirl pattern on them. As much as he fathers somewhat disliked that she wore a lot of tee-shirts and jeans as she got older it was really the only thing she felt truly comfortable in when she went out exploring on her own. When she finished getting dressed She looked at herself in the full-length mirror on the wall next to her and couldn't help but study herself.

Alona hadn't changed much over the years since being adopted by her father other than being in much better condition than when he found her; her chestnut brown hair was soft and smooth as she ran a hand through it to get the tangles out of it, her clear dark brown eyes shone brightly as she brushed a lock of her hair out of her face before trailing over her body. Even after all this time it felt odd that she was at a normal weight compared to how skinny she used to be, she wasn't portly like her father but she wasn't underweight for someone her age either. Her light skin was clear except for a few light scars from her earlier days with that awful man. All in all

After she was done she went to her father's office for her last breakfast with him before she had to start eating with the students.

"So, how did you sleep last night?" Her father asked as he cut into his fluffy buttermilk pancakes with fresh apple and black berry compote.

Alona sighed lightly before digging into her vegetable quiche "I slept okay, I woke up a little confused though."

Her father chuckled at this, "I'm sure you'll get used to it soon, you will have to share a room with someone after all."

"Er…I guess…" Alona mumbled as she continued to eat.

Once breakfast was finished Milton stood up from his seat "The students will be arriving soon for their first day and I need to be ready to greet them. Are you ready?"

Alona wiped her mouth one last time and stood up from her chair before letting out a nervous shaky sigh "Y-Yeah…" As the morning wore on Alona watched as the halls filled up with students and generally tried to stay out of everyone's way and sight as best she could without attracting too much attention to herself. That didn't last long though after Apple White arrived and caused everyone to fawn over her excitedly; causing Alona to try to retreat even further into her locker as she possibly could. She watched as Apple walked over to Daring Charming and started talking to him before being approached by Blondie Locks who started talking about an interview or something. Alona had already decided that she was going to avoid the gossipy daughter of Goldie Locks at all cost if she could help it she didn't need or want any attention from something like a mirrorcast.

She had just finished watching Apple and Daring walk off arm in arm towards the Castleteria as the students in the hallway had gone back to their own business when one of the three little pigs announced that Raven Queen had arrived and caused every student to panic and flee, instantly clearing the hallways. Alona let out a long sigh of pure relief she didn't even know she had been holding as she slid down her locker and onto the floor once she though everyone was gone.

Or at least she thought everyone was gone until a pair of shadows suddenly loomed over her "Uh, hey are you alright?" a voice asked a bit hesitantly.

Alona immediately stiffened and looked up to see the daughters of both the Evil Queen and the Mad Hatter respectively looking down at her with slight worry.

"I-I'm fine…" she said so quietly Raven almost had to strain to hear her.

"Are you not afraid of me? You didn't run like all the other students." Raven asked.

Alona slowly stood up with her back still pressed against the wall "I t-thought I was alone…I just d-don't really like being around people…" She said quietly as she averted her eyes.

Just as Raven was about to respond, Maddie's watch went off "Yay!" the brightly colored girl cheered "Tea time!"

As she said this she pulled a small table and chair out of her hat, along with a complete tea set, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. Maddie then proceeded to sit down and pour tea into three cups as she started talking what Alona assumed was her pet Dormouse. Raven giggled at her friends' antics and gave Alona a wave goodbye before she headed off to the Castleteria for lunch. Alona was just about to get up to go eat lunch herself when Maddie suddenly shoved a tea cup full of said hot liquid into her hands; leaving a bewildered Alona looking down at her reflection in the drink "W-What's this?" she asked quietly.

Maddie giggled "To calm your nerves silly! It _is_ your first day after all!" Her Dormouse nodded in agreement.

"…Thank you…" Alona mumbled as she took a small sip, surprised at how good it tasted, quickly finishing it off as she stood up "I…I have to go…sorry." She added before she gave Maddie back her porcelain cup; scurrying off to the Castleteria as calmly as she could manage without giving away just how scared she truly was.

"Have a hatastic day!" Maddie called after her.

Alona only nodded without looking back and picked up the pace while wondering how Maddie knew about it being her first day.

After she got her food Alona shyly looked for a place to sit, silently hoping she could find a lone table with no one sitting at it, only to be disappointed to find the only available table was the one Raven was sitting at all alone and looking bored. She gave a small gulp as she slowly walked over to where the supposedly _evil_ girl was sitting and attempted to clear her throat to get her attention, she had noticed it was a habit she had picked up from her father over the years, but just as she opened her mouth Daring Charming's younger brother Dexter came up to Raven and started talking to her. There was a sudden blinding flash from the other end of the room, causing everyone to look over and see that Apple and Daring had entered the Castleteria to the usual fanfare as they made their way over; prompting Alona to start backing away and attempt to blend in.

" _I don't need to eat, I need to get out of her."_ She thought nervously as she tried not to be noticed.

"Raven! How's every enchanted thing?" Apple greeted as her and Daring got closer.

"Apple White, good to see you," Raven greeted back "Hey Daring."

"I uh have to warn you; don't stare at the teeth. Just got em whitened." Daring cautioned before looking away and smiling, unintentionally causing Alona to flinch at the blinding light.

It was then that the group of four noticed her "Hey, you're that girl I met in the hall earlier" Raven said with a friendly smile "I don't think I ever caught your name."

Alona felt like a deer caught in a flashlight, she wanted nothing more than to run into the Enchanted Forest right then as the four students awaited her answer. After a solid two minutes of slightly awkward silence she finally found her voice again "A-Alona Hikari" She said just loud enough for someone to barely catch it if they were listening closely enough.

Apple seemed rather interested in this "Hikari? I've never heard of a story with that kind of last name before."

"It's not a very well-known story." Alona blurted out quickly

"Well, I'd love to hear it sometime if you ever have time!" Apple exclaimed happily as the bell rang to signal that the lunch period was over "Oh, oh! There's the bell. Time for Good Kingdom Management. Raven what's your next class?"

Raven scanned her schedule until she found what she was looking for "Uh, History of Evil Spells."

"Oh, that is so perfect for you!" Apple gushed.

Alona didn't stick around to hear anything else as she dropped her tray onto a table and took off to her Science and Sorcery class.

" _Great now I have to come up with a fake fairytale if she ever asks…"_ she thought with a heavy sigh as she walked into class.

* * *

That night Alona returned to her dorm room for the first time since she had left for breakfast with her father that morning. Pausing when she got to the door she knocked gently as a warming to her new roommate that she was coming in before taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm her nerves once she felt calm enough she opened the door and stepped inside. She got to the end of the hall and looked around the room in awe at how beautifully her roommate had decorated her own side of the room in reds, blacks, and red flannels. Looking towards the bed Alona saw a girl, who she assumed was Cerise, with long, dark brown hair that had several white streaks and her outfit consisting of dark colors along with a red cape with a hood. She was writing in a book until she looked up when she heard Alona approach.

"Oh, um hi. You must be my roommate Alona Hikari," the girl said as she closed the book and stood, trying to pull her hood down a bit more over her face as she got a bit closer.

Alona's heart pounded against her chest nervously as the girl inspected her with her slate gray eyes "Uh, y-yeah that's me…" Alona said softly "I-I'm guessing you're the daughter of Red Riding Hood?"

The girl seemed to be concentrating and taking a few deep breathes, similar to how a dog would when getting used to something, gaining a look of slight concern before she registered Alona's question and snapped out of it hastily nodding as she replied "Yes, I'm Cerise. I didn't recognize your last name when I first saw it, whose daughter are you?"

"I'm from a really obscure fairytale to be honest…" Alona mumbled

Cerise seemed like she didn't quite believe her but didn't push the subject any further "Are you alright?" She asked slowly "You seem like you're really nervous or scared."

"I-I'm just not a people person…" Alona admitted as she rubbed her arm and looked away "new people kind of scare me."

"Don't worry I won't bite." Cerise joked lightly

Alona finally looked her in the eyes and was relieved to see nothing but calm and friendliness reflected in them, her posture seemed to relax and she gave Cerise a small smile. With the awkward tension broken the two seemed to have an easier time getting to know one another.

…So why were you breathing weird when you first met me?" Alona asked a bit nervously after talking with Cerise for a while, as if she was afraid the question would anger or offended her new roommate.

"Oh, I uh have a cold." Cerise answered sheepishly

"It's okay, I understand."

Cerise smiled "thanks

Alona nodded "Well, I have some thronework to get done before tomorrow."

"Okay, I still have some last minute stuff I need to work on myself."

It wasn't long before their curfew hit and it was time for them to get ready for bed. Alona got up to change into her nightgown when she noticed Cerise gathering her own nightwear up and going to change in the bathroom, thinking it was odd but not being one to judge she quickly got changed behind her folding screen and was dumping her clothes into her hamper just as Cerise was coming back out.

"You even wear a hood to bed?" Alona blurted out before realizing what she had said and quickly covering her mouth "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry I didn't mean to sound rude!"

Cerise gave a small smile "It's okay, and yes I even wear one to bed. My mother made both my hoods for me so I never take them off."

"Well, that's understandable considering your story." Alona said with a small smile.

Cerise pulled her hood a bit tighter around her head and looked a bit sad "Er, yeah I guess you're right."

Alona frowned when she noticed and wondered if she had said something wrong; silently chastising herself for saying something rude. After they had both gotten into bed Alona turned off the light.

"Night." she said as she crawled back under her covers and hugged Mr. Midnight.

"Night." Cerise said back as she rolled over onto her side and quickly nodded off.

Alona lay in the dark and thought about how her day went and about Legacy Day Rehearsals the next day. Tomorrow was the day her secret came out and everyone would know she was the Headmasters daughter; this thought caused her earlier fears to resurface. What if everyone didn't trust her anymore or didn't want to be around her because they thought she was a snitch or something? She didn't want to have to tell anyone yet, not if it would cost her her opportunity to learn to trust people and have some real friends.

* * *

The next day as Alona hurried out to Legacy Day rehearsals after lunch, not wanting to be reprimanded for being late she quickly headed out to Legacy Stage and ran up the steps to join her classmates. Maddie waved her over to where her when she reached the top. Alona glanced at her father and locked eyes with him for a split second, a ghost of a smile appeared on his face before returning to his usual seriousness as she reached Maddie and Raven before Headmaster Grimm started speaking.

"Now that everyone is here we can finally get started. So, when your magical key appears" The Headmaster started, holding up an ornate golden key that Alona recognized as the key to a chest in his office where he kept all his unicorn stuff. She bit her lip to keep from laughing as he continued "you insert it, _gently_ , into the Storybook of Legends then stand, shoulders back, and declare your destiny to the world! Have I made myself clear?" He asked after he had finished.

Raven held up a hand "Headmaster Grimm, but what if- "

"No questions? Good." Headmaster Grimm said, cutting her off as if she hadn't said anything.

Alona, who had moved back so she was hiding a bit more in the back, frowned at her father's response to Raven's question. Why wouldn't he answer her?

"Now, we're going to practice with this tiny manual of entirely reasonable school rules." He continued as the sons of the three little pigs carried a huge book up the steps and tossed it onto the podium. Alona made a face when she saw it because it reminded her of when her father had her read it over an entire summer so she would be prepared for taking on her new role as Headmaster someday. The smallest of the three pigs leaned against the podium trying to act cool until the Headmaster cleared his throat and raised a disapproving brow at him, causing the young pig to scurry after his brothers.

Once he was gone Headmaster Grimm turned back to the students "Who will go first?" He asked.

Apple raised her hand excitedly and practically started jumping up and down "Oh! Me! Me! Me! Oh, Oh, Oh!" she exclaimed as she walked forward and took the key from Headmaster Grimm who relinquished it to her "Right this way, my future queen." He said with a smile and a slight bow; causing Alona to roll her eyes and shake her head slightly. Even she had to admit that sometimes her father could be a bit of a suck up when it came to the students of royal descent and their parents.

Apple stepped up to the podium and held the key "I am Apple White and I pledge to follow my destiny as the next Snow White." She recited happily before turning and walking back to the group of students and handing the key back.

"Perfect" Headmaster Grimm beamed

"I know" Apple said proudly as she handed the key back to him before joining the other students.

Alona watched as different students went up to practice reciting their pledge before walking back to join the group, as it got closer for her turn to go she quietly hid herself in the back of the crowed to try and hide. She would have to reveal herself as the headmaster's daughter soon and she would be exposed as a liar in front of everyone. She gulped as she watched Raven Queen go before her.

"My name is Raven Queen and I pledge to follow my destiny as" She hesitated before speaking again" …um, I have a question."

"What is it?" Headmaster Grimm asked in annoyance.

"I was just wondering, I mean, what if I don't _want_ to take the pledge?" Raven asked hesitantly.

Everyone present gasped in shock at what the young Evil Queen had said.

Apples mouth hung open in shock until Daring closed it. Apple snapped out of her stunned stupor and started panicking "She _has_ to do it! I mean, if she never poisons me then I'll never fall asleep and I'll never get kissed by my prince and I'll never become queen and I'll never have my Happily Ever After!"

Alona sighed when she saw the look on her father's face, she knew _exactly_ where this was going.

The headmaster sighed and turned back to Raven "Now Raven, erase that dangerous idea from your head."

"What? It's just a question." Raven said with a slight shrug

"And here's your answer," Grimm said as he approached her "if you don't pledge your destiny your story ceases to exist."

"Ceases to exist?" Raven parroted with slight fear "So then what happens to me?"

Headmaster Grimm pointed a finger at her "You will cease to exist. _Poof_."

Raven flinched at this.

"Now Raven, continue." He prompted.

"But Mr. Grimm- "Raven started to protest

Grimm cut her off again before she could speak " _Poof! Poof!_ "

Alona saw Raven glance past him and look at Apple before seeming to make a decision "I have to go." And with that she ran off before anyone could stop her, leaving everyone there in confusion and fear. Alona took this opportunity to leave by taking the emergency stone steps carved into the back of the stage and slipping back into the school unnoticed; intent on following Raven wherever she was going before she saw her run into the enchanted forest. The sun was slowly sinking behind the mountain by the time Alona finally found her sitting on a log in a clearing.

"Raven! There you are!" Alona called out as she ran up to her "I've been looking everywhere for you!"

Raven was surprised "Alona? What are you doing here?"

Alona sat down on the farthest end of the log "I got a little worried after what my father said to you." She admitted

Raven looked at her in shock " _You're_ Headmaster Grimm's daughter!?"

Alona covered her mouth in shock when she realized what she said "I-I…"

Raven sighed sadly "I'm guessing you came here to tell me I need to follow my Destiny so I don't disappear?" She asked

"No actually, I came to see if you were alright. Just because he's my dad doesn't mean I agree with him," Alona replied with distaste "My destiny is to become the next Grimm even though I don't want to. My father's been trying to 'get me ready' since I started High School last year."

"Why did you lie to Apple I the Castleteria yesterday?"

Alona rubbed the back of her head sheepishly "I didn't want anyone to know I was the Headmasters daughter because I thought everyone would think I was a snitch or wouldn't trust me," She gave a heavy sigh "I-It's hard enough for me to make friends as it is…"

"I understand, it's just like how everyone is afraid of me because of who my mom is." Raven said before remembering something "Hey, can I ask you something?"

Alona nodded "Sure."

"Why are you so afraid of people?" Raven asked softly

Alona hesitated "If I tell you, can you keep it a secret? I just don't feel comfortable with other people knowing, at least not yet."

Raven smiled "Of course, you can trust me."

Alona gave a timid smile back before taking a deep breath "I-I was abused when I was really little," She started before she saw a mix of horror and anger on Ravens face "Not by Headmaster Grimm!" She reassured her quickly "you see, I'm actually adopted. I lived somewhere else with my real parents or a least I did until I was three…" She squeezed her eyes shut as the memories came flooding back.

"You don't have to continue if it's too painful." Raven told her with a look of sympathy

Alona shook her head "I'm okay. It's always going to be hard talking about it no matter who I tell…" she took a deep breath before continuing "anyways, when I was three a man broke into our house and killed both my parents over money before knocking me out before taking me. Next thing I knew we were in his cabin in the Enchanted Forest. I lived with him and his girlfriend until I was five and I was able to run away, not long after that I met my father and he's taken care of me ever since. I'm still scared of people because of everything those two did to me so it's hard for me to make friends and meet new people…"

"So that's why you were so afraid of me yesterday," Raven said quietly "you weren't afraid of who I _was_ you were just afraid of _me_."

Alona looked away and rubbed her arm "I don't care who anyone's parents are…I just can't trust anyone…"

"You can trust me," Raven offered "we can be friends if you want."

Alona looked over in surprise before looking downcast "You wouldn't want to be friends with me…I'm worthless."

"I don't think your worthless." Raven offered kindly "from what I've seen you seem like a good person."

Alona perked up "You really think so?

Raven nodded "I know so.

Alona smiled "Thanks." She got up off the log and stretched "Well, I'm gonna head back, you coming?"

Raven smiled "Thanks but I think I'll stay out here a bit longer." She replied as a raven perched next to her on the log.

"Okay, see you at dinner." Alona smiled as she started walking towards the school.

"See you!" Raven called back

Alona was deep in thought as she walked back, did she really just make her first real friend? She couldn't help but laugh a little and shake her head as she thought of all the stories her father had told her about the students and who to avoid. Raven had been at the top of the list of who to avoid just because of who her mother was and who she was going to become, but after meeting her for herself Alona could hardly believe she had been worried at all.

As Alona got closer to the school she looked up at the late afternoon sky and smiled maybe this year wouldn't be so bad after all.

 **TwilightSky15** **: Well there you have it. I tried my best to make this chapter longer to make up for the long absence so I hope you enjoyed it.**


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